| Back in the 90s, most Americans would have agreed | | | | one programmer can do the work of another, simply |
| that the country needed more engineers and | | | | because they both know how to produce code. |
| programmers. The USA needed high-tech workers in | | | | I speak from personal experience. During the recent |
| order to maintain its worldwide edge in technology, and | | | | employment bust, I was working for a robotics |
| common wisdom dictated that there jus weren’t | | | | company in Silicon Valley, where I was involved in |
| enough of them to go around. | | | | evaluating prospective job candidates. Despite the |
| As the years went by, the popular sentiment started | | | | large number of available programmers out there, we |
| to change. This was especially true after the looming | | | | had an extremely difficult time finding anyone who had |
| Y2K threat fizzled out, after the Internet bubble burst, | | | | the right skills. We weren’t looking for a perfect |
| and after the 9/11 tragedy forced many high-tech US | | | | match, mind you; just somebody who was close |
| companies to perform massive layoffs. Among | | | | enough. The best candidates were usually foreign-born, |
| engineers and programmers, unemployment started to | | | | and few if any of them were US citizens. Additionally, |
| rise. So did resentment toward foreigners who were | | | | while the best candidates did have the right technical |
| alleged to have taken jobs away from hard-working | | | | skills (or were close enough to what we needed), their |
| Americans. Whereas high-tech workers used to | | | | resumes and interviews often revealed inadequacies in |
| trumpet the need to recruit talented manpower from | | | | other areas—-lackluster communication skills, for |
| overseas, many of them started to proclaim that there | | | | example. |
| were plenty of techies to go around, and that this | | | | Mind you, I’m not saying that American tech |
| manpower shortage was all a myth. | | | | workers are lacking in skills or qualifications. That would |
| Many Americans started blaming foreign workers, | | | | be an oversimplification as well. Rather, my argument is |
| particularly those who were employed on H-1B work | | | | that we should avoid painting with a broad brush. |
| visas. This visa program allows workers in specialized | | | | Different companies have different needs, and some |
| categories—typically, science, engineering, and | | | | of them will have a hard time finding just the right |
| computer technology—to work in the USA on a | | | | people. This is especially true of companies that are |
| temporary basis. Resentful techies protested that | | | | pushing the envelope of high-tech development and |
| there was no manpower shortage, and that | | | | who need to recruit the most qualified people possible. |
| companies only wanted to hire foreigners because | | | | I’ve heard other experienced engineers make the |
| these people would be willing to work longer hours for | | | | same observation. As one commentator said, “A |
| less pay. | | | | good programmer requires a lot of different skills. |
| So what’s the truth? When Americans technical | | | | These skills are developed in several ways: (1) a good |
| workers remain unemployed, does this mean that US | | | | basic education, (2) experience, and (3) analytical |
| companies are passing them up in favor of cheap | | | | thinking. I haven’t met much people who combine |
| labor? Are there more than enough American techies | | | | these skills.” When a company isn’t just looking |
| to go around? Is the high-tech manpower shortage | | | | for someone who can hammer out code – when |
| real, or is it all just hype? | | | | they need someone with strong analytical and |
| I think that the answer lies somewhere in between. | | | | problem-solving skills, for example, or who can develop |
| True, there are many programmers and engineers | | | | strong software architectures – then the pool of |
| who have a hard time finding employment. It is also | | | | possible candidates can dwindle dramatically. |
| true that there are companies that deliberately | | | | This problem is expecially obvious in strongly |
| underpay foreign workers. Does this mean that the | | | | cross-disciplinary fields. Suppose that you need |
| manpower shortage is mere fiction, though – nothing | | | | someone who can do circuit design, but who also has |
| but a ploy to justify the hiring of low-wage foreigners? | | | | some software development and mechanical design |
| Not necessarily. There are certainly unemployed | | | | skills. Such people are valuable in fields such as |
| techies out there – perhaps even an abundance of | | | | robotics, automation, and disk drive design, and they |
| them -- but this doesn’t mean that a company will | | | | can be tough to find. When an American engineer is |
| have no problem finding the specific kind of person | | | | passed up for jobs like these, it’s typically not |
| that they need. (It’s also worth considering that the | | | | because companies want cheap labor. Rather, it’s |
| unemployment rate among engineers has dropped | | | | because people with the right combination of skills can |
| considerably since the immediate post-9/11 era – but | | | | be mighty difficult to find. That’s why companies |
| for the sake of argument, let’s assume that | | | | are willing to recruit foreign nationals for these jobs, |
| unemployment is still a grave concern.) | | | | despite all the legal expenses and headaches involved. |
| Some people seem to think that a programmer is a | | | | So is the manpower shortage real? In my judgment, |
| programmer, and that an engineer is an engineer. They | | | | yes and no. There are indeed times when foreigners |
| see companies choosing foreign nationals over US | | | | are hired because they’re willing to work for less. |
| citizens and they protest that these companies must | | | | However, we should not be quick to conclude that |
| surely be looking for cheap labor. Mind you, there is no | | | | companies that hire foreign nationals are simply doing |
| doubt that some companies do operate in this fashion; | | | | so to save a buck. I’ve seen too many situations |
| however, we should not conclude that this is indeed | | | | where a company had a difficult time finding anybody |
| their motivation. People are like snowflakes, after all; no | | | | who had the right skill set, even when there was no |
| two of them are alike. Engineers are not | | | | shortage of applicants. |
| interchangable, and it would be foolish to conclude that | | | | |